Waddell Says Glasgow Will Host ‘amazing’ Games

Rob Waddell, head of the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team, told The Scotsman he is confident that Glasgow will host an ‘amazing’ Games next year. Speaking at the end of a four-day visit, Rob Waddell said he was impressed by the facilities that are complete, and confident that those being built will meet every requirement. ‘I think it’s really important for Glasgow…that 70 per cent of the facilities already existed,” he said. ‘That’s got to be a model for the future, rather than throwing the Games at someone who has nothing and saying ‘Here you go, you’ve got so many years to get it all built. Some things are still being completed, but the pleasing thing is that everything is on schedule. I feel very pleased about how it’s looking. I feel very excited for Glasgow and I’m sure it’s going to be an amazing Games,’ Waddell said to The Scotsman. ‘On visits such as this, sometimes you might feel a bit scared about being brutally honest with people, but we’ve been able to sit down and have those discussions. They’ve been very receptive, and that’s a huge relief.’ Waddell added that he was ‘really passionate about my sport and it’s great to come to Glasgow and see the passion that you guys have got for it. I’ve enjoyed running along the river and seeing all the cycle paths.’ An Olympic rowing gold medalist in 2000, Waddell was appointed in 2012 by the New Zealand Olympic Committee. ‘I’m not after gold medals or pats on the back for myself. I’ll just be very pleased if our athletes come away feeling that they’ve done their best and saying there were no excuses. A chef de mission is not there for a long time in an athlete’s career, but it’s a critical time,’ Waddell said.